Blog

June 14, 2011

By Jim Wieners

Hazelwood (Central) Boys Lacrosse, the only team in North County, took players from more than just Hazelwood Central to win the Missouri Scholastic Lacrosse Association Division II title last month.

There were players from four high schools that make up a club level sport, not supported by any of the high schools or by the Missouri State High School Activities Association.

The majority of players are from Hazelwood West. There are 16 from West including goalkeeper Mason Goodwin, who was named the defensive player of the MSLA Division II Tournament. There are 12 from Hazelwood Central including Connor McPartland, the defensive player of the MSLA Division II Tournament who scored the game-tying and overtime game-winning goals against Rockwood-Summit.

Prior to the post-season tournament Joey Mirth (Central) had 143 shots, Andy Thomas (West) and Kasey Wade (West) each had 40 goals, Wade also has 21 assists and Bryce Woods (West) has picked up 94 ground balls. Goodwin has won 80 percent of the games in goal but before the playoffs he stopped 122 shots but that do not include a key save in the title game against Summit before McPartland tied it at 4-4.

The Hawks also had a player from Orchard Farm (Cole McGinness) and a player from Alton, Ill., Marquette Catholic (Jacob Lewis).

“A lot of hard workers,” said Hawk head coach Brian Livingston. “They came a long way (to winning the championship).”

Because it is a club sport Hazelwood Central, apparently, was not available for Boys Lacrosse. So the Hawks play their home games behind Hazelwood Northwest Middle school. They call the place by their former name, Hazelwood Junior High, the second oldest middle school building in the Hazelwood School District next to Hazelwood East Middle School, formerly Kirby Junior High and the first Hazelwood High School building.

The club sport “causes field issues,” said Livingston, who relies on players’ parents to get the field mowed and lined for games. There are only two sideline benches, no bleachers so spectators will have to stand or bring their own chairs. And Livingston said it was hard to get people to provide for medical treatment.

So while they played most of their games on grass the Hawks played the MSLA Division II Tournament semifinals and championship game on the field-turf surface of Lindenwood University’s Harlan C. Hunter Stadium in St. Charles. Lindenwood always had an artificial surface because they could never grow grass on it. And the Hawks were able to adjust with wins over Parkway Central, 7-5, and Rockwood-Summit, 5-4 in overtime.

Livingston believes, as long as Boys Lacrosse is a club sports “we can recruit a lot of kids that can play for a winning team.”

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